Los Luceros
Revised
Chapter 1
The thick air of the storm seemed to snuff out the oxygen making it hard to breath. His green eyes trailed the winding road that snaked and coiled up and around the hills, traveling toward a house that resembled more of a shack upon a shack in its crooked state. The wood of the pyres and windows bent and creaked, the sounds of their moans traveling down to his ears, though he seemed to be a mile away. Blackened sky, murmured secrets as a flash of lightening grinned down upon him. The brightness of the cutting light caused him to hold up a hand to shield his eyes. Taking the risk, he opened them back up only to see some sort of animal dancing off in the distance, several feet away from the doorway of the house. It was up on its hind legs, hopping and skipping in place, its front legs stretched and cracked with the thunder as fingers came from toes; its face hidden behind a tattered, black, old top hat. Lightening split the sky, in its wake the creature had moved, it was now closer, half way between himself and the twisted home that had a yawning door. The subtle laughter the odd being had trickled like muted rain. The feet, an odd combination of hoof and paw, continued to pick up and bob to an invisible melody that squelched in the very air. The thin rattish tail lashed to a merry frolic, the tufted of hair at the end seemed to flex from smooth to bristled on its own volition. The blue vest on the white fur wrinkled in the wind of the storm.
An unfamiliar feeling started arise, it shrunk away, whimpered and tugged. He wanted to turn and run, get away from the strange creature that "la"ed and "da"ed. His very being desired for his hasty retreat, but he couldn't move. His eyes were fixated, they couldn't move from the dance and the house, he couldn't make himself move no matter how loudly he screamed in his mind. He couldn't...
The lightening flashed once more, his heart stopping as hot breath washed over his nose and mouth -all he could see were two eyes, a sickly yellow where a healthy white should be; blue, like a new born's eyes, no definitive color, where pupil and iris once shined. A white nose pressed against his as a shrill, gravel like voice started to hiss out a word only to be broken free from his trance from a calling voice.
"Axl!" X shook the boy from his slumber.
Startled green eyes locked onto the ceiling, not willing to move as his chest took in greedy amounts of air. A droplet of liquid ran down the criss-crossed scar that adorned his face, telling him that he was sweating as his body shivered from cold. All of it was a dream, a simple dream... a terrifying dream.
"You okay, kid?" hazel eyes focused with concern. "Did you have a nightmare?"
Closing his eyes, he only found a dancing creature to meet him, quickly opening them back up he looked at his companion, who occupied the quarters next to his own. He didn't know what to say, it was unlike him to get nightmares, he had only one once before when he was still considered a child, or at least that was what Red had called him. Now that he was an adult, a Maverick Hunter, it seemed peculiar to say the least. Yet he had no words to explain, they chocked in his throat when he tried to open his mouth to talk about it to his trusted friend. It was like his body was freezing up on its own, keeping quiet and huddling secrets to itself.
X gave a small smile and turned away from the boy, "That bad huh? Just remember it's only a dream, you should try to go back to sleep mode, your shift is still several hours away."
The azure reploid stood up only to have his wrist taken a hold of. With a confused frown, he looked down, Axl's grip was almost to the point of being painful as he shook. The boy's lively green eyes were half open as his face was mostly buried in his pillow, as if the soft object would muffle out those eyes that "la"ed and "da"ed even in his waking mind.
"Okay, come on, let's go to the mess hall."
Axl slowly pulled himself out of his bed, his grip loosening and releasing his superior. He seemed happy to be out in the bright hallway, not caring that he looked like he survived a hurricane. A reassuring hand was placed on the back of his head as the two started to walk down the hallway, the soft pitter patter of X's bare feet compared to his heavy foot falls made it feel like he was walking next to a cat.
"You'll feel better after you get something to eat," X offered a brotherly smile.
A week
later...
Pale fingers glided over ivory keys pushing down only a few in a haunting melody. A curtain blew open in the midnight breeze, the silver light of the moon fled into the room that was covered with dust, the piano with its keys covered and locked. The melody continued on, not disturbed by the logic that it could not happen with out someone sitting at the seat that was faded and hard over the years. His eyes trailed down the carpet that promised to be bright and colorful followed restoration. Stretched upon it, the silhouette of fingers playing, ears listening to the sad song that promised nothing. When the curtain settled the silhouette twisted and pulled into the shadows that decorated the room in tapestries of darkness and unknown realms. Slow careful steps took him to the window, his hands took a gentle, shaking, curious hold on the fabric that was heavy with its own decay. Pulling it to the side, tenderly, slowly, allowing the moon to come back into the room that welcomed the light that freed it from to many years of dwelling. All in an instant the music was gone, the room was left silent only to creak as if to whisper a hidden secret with in its walls. The gentle breeze from the window, pushed at his soft hair, moving it in front of his eyes. Laughter, snickering like a snake, hissing out of lungs that were never meant to breath; floated in from the courtyard. Green eyes were pulled to look out the dirty glass that was barely cracked, out upon the hill, far in the distance, the animal was on its hind legs. A hoof-paw stepped back as the creature tipped his hat in a bow, as if to start a show. With a clip and a clop, the feet started to dance in place, the laughter in in his ear as breath breathed down his neck even though he was alone. The piano began to play as the shadows around him weaved and waved as if dancing with the creature that was no longer there. The music continued to play, the melody no longer sad, but haunting in a promise to be caught by clutches that snickered and snacked. The sudden slap of a hand rattled the glass he was standing next to, startling him out of his sleep.
His eyes fixated on the ceiling once again as his body shuddered for a reason he could not explain. The creature that was twisted and knurled, placed an unknown fear in him. Its laughter still echoing in his waking ears as the shadows of his room danced with the melody of his dreams. His heart beat fast in his head, trying to drown out all other sounds. Pushing his blanket to the side he regretted not settling in the recharger and opting for sleeping like a human once again. It seemed to him that after the first few nightmares he would have learned, but something told him that even if he had just gone into the pod like device in that desolate lounge where hunters gather for only a few short hours, it would not be any different. The dreams would continue, that thing would continue to dance and the piano would play, the shadows would dance while the house tried to scream out hidden ways.
Getting up he ignored the fact he needed to place on his armor as he quickly strode to his door. His hand came up to the panel to the side, stopping as a laughter struck his ears. It was an odd laughter, like an old man that was dark in his ways yet... Yet something in the tune of it made him believe that there was intelligence, too much intelligence.
With a push of a button the door unlocked and slid open, he was hoping to catch a glimpse of whom had made the intriguing sound only to see a fellow hunter. A female that was best left alone, her long, puffy, deep brown hair a flag announcing who she was. She had her helmet tucked under an arm as she stopped to look at the boy that was a relatively good acquaintance. The purple and yellow stripe down her cheeks crisscrossed in color.
"Hey kid, you look like hell," she placed a free hand on her black and yellow hip, sporting damage that sparked in the air as if it was nothing at all.
"Don't call me ki-... You should go to the repair lab, Rhythm."
"Just heading there," she jerked her head to the side. "Come with me."
He nodded as he stepped out of his room, he stopped at the sight of a man at the end of the hallway, his gray hair rimming the bald top, the wild mustache flaring out as he leaned against a cane that had a skull for a grip. It was him that had laughed, or... so Axl believed. But when he blinked, the old man was gone.
"I'm gonna leave you behind if you just stand there."
The redhead quickly ran up to walk along side the woman, their height about the same, "Sorry, just thought I saw someone."
"Oh?"
"Just my eyes playing tricks on me."
"What makes you so sure of that?"
"Because people can't just appear and disappear."
Rhythm paused for a moment to look at the young hunter, "You say that with such confidence. You do realize that it was humans that first developed teleporting devices, right?"
"And you say that as if you knew those people personally."
She only gave a smile and kept walking, the crooked 'W' on her right shoulder finally in sight now that her armor was off. He... didn't like that look. She only got it when she knew something you didn't and that was never good. Actually, more like, it was never any fun. Axl fell behind. There was still that strange air about, that oddity that made the body squirm involuntarily. It was disturbing to him. He rubbed his arm in an attempt to get rid of the feeling of his skin crawling. Odd whispers of wind started to push past his skin, combing through his hair. His mind drifted as the strangest thought occurred to him; he would never be alone.
To Be Continued...
